This invention relates to the operation of a heat exchanger in combination with a refrigeration system in which a superheated vaporized refrigerant is discharged into the shell side of the heat exchanger for the purpose of vaporizing carbon dioxide or heating other fluids for commercial use.
Heretofore, industries that use vaporized liquid carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), such as the soft drink industry, have used electric or other type heaters to vaporize the CO.sub.2 used for carbonation of their drinks. In addition, these same plants use large amounts of hot water in their operation. Finally, these same plants have large refrigeration units which give off waste heat to the atmosphere as the refrigerant is condensed. The present invention is directed to a system in which recovered waste heat from the refrigeration system is used to replace the power now used to vaporize carbon dioxide or heat other fluids.